Kumaresan Cithambaram

Dr.

Contact Details


Assistant professor in Intellectual Disability Nursing
H242

T:Ext. 8025

E:kumaresan.cithambaram@dcu.ie
Profile Photo

  

Dr Kumaresan Cithambaram is an Assistant Professor in intellectual disability nursing in the School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and  Community Health, DCU. Dr Cithambaram worked in various capacities in intellectual disability services for over 15 years as a staff nurse, clinical nurse manager 1 and 2.  Dr Cithambaram completed his PhD from Dublin City University, and in his study, he explored the end of life care needs of people with intellectual disabilities and their family members. He has expertise in involving people with intellectual disabilities in sensitive research, such as discussing palliative and end of life care issues and communication needs. Dr Cithambaram conducted qualitative research with people with intellectual disabilities and their family members using individual interviews and focus groups on exploring the end of life care needs of people with intellectual disabilities and carers. Dr Cithambaram was awarded a Cochrane fellowship and experience in conducting qualitative evidence synthesis. Dr Cithambaram published peer-reviewed articles in academic journals. In addition, he supervised several MSc Dissertations. He accepts PhD students. His research interests are Palliative and end of life care needs of people with intellectual disabilities, communication needs, ageing with intellectual disabilities, Migration and racial equality, qualitative evidence synthesis.

  

Peer Reviewed Journal

Year Publication
2022 Kimya Yausaman Toussi; Kumaresan Cithambaram (2022) 'evaluating the written information about COVID-19 provided to people with learning disabilities'. LEARNING DISABILITY PRACTICE, . [DOI]
2022 Cithambaram. K.. Duffy, M. and Courtney, E (2022) 'Preserving familiarity: the care needs of people with intellectual disabilities at the end of life'. LEARNING DISABILITY PRACTICE, . [DOI]
2022 Smith,V., O'Malley, D. and Cithambaram, C (2022) 'Early warning systems in maternity care: A qualitative evidence synthesis of maternity care providers’ views and experiences'. Midwifery, (112). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2022.103402
2021 Crossref (2021) 'Early warning systems in maternity care: protocol for a qualitative evidence synthesis of maternity care providers’ views and experiences'. HRB Open Research, . [Link] [DOI]
2021 Queen's University Belfast - PURE (2021) 'Supporting people with learning disabilities to receive subcutaneous injections'. LEARNING DISABILITY PRACTICE, . [Link] [DOI]
2021 Cithambarm, K.; Duffy, M.; Courtney, E. (2021) 'What Constitutes Good Quality End-of-Life Care? Perspectives of People With Intellectual Disabilities and Their Families'. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 18 . [Link] [DOI]
2020 Cithambaram, Kumaresan; Duffy, Mel; Courtney, Eileen (2020) 'Disclosure and plan of care at end of life: Perspectives of people with intellectual disabilities and families in Ireland'. British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 48 (4). [DOI]
2019 Queen's University Belfast - PURE (2019) 'Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy feeding: clinical knowledge and skills for learning disability nurses'. LEARNING DISABILITY PRACTICE, . [Link] [DOI]
2019 Cithambaram, Kumaresan; Duffy, Mel; Courtney, Eileen (2019) 'End-of-life care research on people with intellectual disabilities: Challenges for proactive inclusion in an Irish context'. British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 47 (2). [DOI]
2015 Queen's University Belfast - PURE (2015) 'The experiences of nurses working with people with intellectual disabilities and mental health problems'. Brunei Journal of Health, . [Link]

Web Page

Year Publication
2019 Queen's University Belfast - PURE (2019) Widening Access to Palliative and End of Life Care for People with Intellectual Disabilities. WEBP [Link]

Other Publication

Year Publication
2015 Queen's University Belfast - PURE (2015) A qualitative study into the experiences of Nurses working with people with intellectual disabilities and Mental Health problems in Ireland. [Link]
2015 Queen's University Belfast - PURE (2015) Preserving Self in the Face of Death and Dying: End of Life Care Needs of People with Intellectual Disabilities. [Link]
2014 Queen's University Belfast - PURE (2014) Ethical issues of involving people with intellectual disabilities in a sensitive research study. [Link]
2013 Queen's University Belfast - PURE (2013) An exploration of end of life care needs of people with intellectual disabilities: Developing a model of service delivery. [Link] http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjspcare-2013-000591.189
2012 Queen's University Belfast - PURE (2012) Exploring the End of Life Care Needs of people with Intellectual disabilities: A protocol. [Link]
2010 Queen's University Belfast - PURE (2010) Exploring experiences of nurses working with people with intellectual disabilities and mental health problems. [Link]

Conference Publication

Year Publication
2023 Cithambaram.K., Corby, D., Egere, K., Hartnett, L., Healy, S. and Joyce, D (2023) Abstract Book . In: Cithambaram, C eds. Cancer Screening Access Needs of Disabled People- A Qualitative Evidence Synthesis

Published Report

Year Publication
2023 (2023) Breaking Down Barriers: An Assessment of the Needs of Disabled People in Accessing Population-Based Screening Services in Ireland. Health Service Executive, .

Newspaper

Year Publication
2023 (2023) People with disabilities not accessing screening programmes ‘at risk of missed cancer diagnoses’. NEWSA https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/people-with-disabilities-not-accessing-screening-programmes-at-risk-of-missed-cancer-diagnoses/a429628189.html
Certain data included herein are derived from the © Web of Science (2024) of Clarivate. All rights reserved.

Professional Associations

Association Function From / To
Nursing and Midwifery Council Registered Nurse-Adult 23/07/2017 -
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland Registered General Nurse 01/08/2003 -
All Ireland Institute for Hospice and Palliative Care Member 01/03/2012 -

Employment

Employer Position From / To
St Joseph Intellectual Disability Services Staff Nurse, CNM1 and CNM2 09/08/2003 - 20/09/2017
Queen's University Belfast Lecturer (education) 21/09/2017 - 25/08/2021
Dublin City University Assistant Professor 30/08/2021 -

Education

Start date Institution Qualification Subject
02/01/2018 Queen's University Belfast Postgraduate certificate Teaching in Higher Education
01/09/2006 Dublin City University MSc- Nursing practice
12/01/1993 Director Medical services Diploma in General Nursing
15/12/2000 Indira Gandhi National Open University BSc (N)
01/09/2010 Dublin City University PhD
06/05/1997 Director of Public Health Diploma in Public Health Nursing

Languages

Language Reading Writing Speaking
Tamil Fluent Fluent Fluent
English Fluent Fluent Fluent

Reviews

Journal Role
LEARNING DISABILITY PRACTICE Reviewer
British Journal of Learning Disabilities Reviewer
Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities Reviewer

Outreach Activities

Year Engagement Type Organisation Description
2021 Advisory Work Palliative Care for People with Learning disabilities Network Member of the Advisory group
2024 Other All Ireland institute of Hospice and Palliative Care Act as a vice-chair for the Early Career Research Forum

Research Interests

Palliative and end of life care of people with intellectual disabilities, Advance Care Planning, End of life communication and intellectual disabilities, ageing with intellectual disabilities, Involving people with intellectual disabilities in the research process, Migration, Racial equality. Qualitative evidence synthesis and systematic review.

Research Projects

Title Role Description Start date End date
Queens' University Research Award PI Evaluating the written information provided to people with intellectual disabilities about the COVID-19 pandemic. 01/03/2021 15/08/2021
National Screening Services: Needs assessment for disabled people DCU PI 01/04/2022 30/09/2022
Provision of evidence to inform the development of a report specifying nursing indicators for intellectual disability where there is no formal diagnosis of intellectual disability, but evident nursing knowledge demonstrates grounds for a formal nursing assessment for intellectual disability. Co-PI 01/02/2024 30/06/2024

Current Postgraduate Students

Student Name Degree Supervision
Joseph Jayasundar ,Anto Ajithpaul PhD-track Supervisor
Mariappan ,Senthilkumar PhD-track Supervisor
Varghese ,Shilly PhD-track Supervisor

Modules Coordinated

Term Title Subject
2022 NS326
2022 Practice Module 1b (Intellectual Disability) NS161
2022 NS237
2023 NS309